Voice Work

This edition of Off the Beaten Path is about voice-over work. Some of us in radio (and TV) supplement our radio/TV pay with voice work. Months ago I did an OTBP about this and continue that with this second part.

It’s interesting to see how the voice-over work has changed over time and how it has opened up to so many people thanks to technology improvements that make a great home studio possible. Plus, there is the ability to get your audio (live or post) to agencies or clients quickly, easily and with high quality. The industry also has seen a sub-industry by people who train others on voice-over work, package demo reels, and a host of other, usually paid, support. This OTBP also includes a “rerun” of my all-time favorite voice-over video with some of the most recognizable voice guys from the industry.

VO Buzz Weekly This is a good site and Chuck & Stacey, the hosts of the online video show, often have some great guests (like Mark Elliott who most people can recognize of the voice of so many Disney trailers in the ’80s and ’90s). Like many of the VO web sites, there are some solicitations for products and services they sell, but this is a site really worth checking out for VO people and people wanting help with their voice-over work. Go to the “Watch Shows” tab for the program and some great interviews.

Acoustic Baffles People doing voice-over work often go into a closet to do their recording (okay … so that’s the poorest person’s studio, but it works… and yes, I’ve used the “Closet Studio”). Usually it’s quiet, within another room, and there are clothes on hangers to cut reverb. But I stumbled across this website for some neat VO acoustic baffles (some specifically for mic use) that were pretty nice.

Useful Tools For those in the voice-over “biz,” here’s David Tyler’s take on the five best tools to run his VO business.

Neumann Studio Academy I really like it when equipment manufacturers offer us tips, tricks, white papers … basically anything they have in terms of “a free education.” Neumann, the well-known high-end mic company has an excellent tutorial area on studios, mixing, miking ... the whole nine yards.

The Wix Option And if you do voice work and need a website to promote your voice work, a business portal like Wix.com is one possibility. Those really serious about this work will get their own domain name and not go a route like that, but for those of us who do it “for fun” and can live with the “wix” part in the name (plus ads for Wix), this one is the right price. Free! Here’s an example of a free voice-over website through Wix (my own).

And finally … Here’s an OTPB rerun, but darn … it’s just so fun to watch (especially if you do voice work or are a fan of the movies). You’ll certainly know the first guy in the limo (Don Lafontaine who passed away in 2008), but you may not know the names of the other voice-over guys. You WILL know their voices when you hear them though! It was the lead-in to an awards show and probably not broadcast due to the nature of the video. Note that it contains content that may not be suitable for some people.

If you stumble across a good or unusual web site that might be of interest, please don’t hesitate to send me the link and any info you might have about it. My email address is dan_slentz@yahoo.com.